Sunday, October 31, 2010

Up until a few weeks ago I didn't know of any good/proper du'a to say when people asked me to make du'a for them. I did say a prayer for them but I thought it's not good enough, that there's something lacking in the manner and contents of the du'a. So I got nervous everytime people say: please remember me in your du'a, please make du'a for me. But we are all weak and we respect one another so we ask du'a from one another.

Alhamdulillah, barakah Habib Umar bin Hafiz who was generous enough to give an ijazah on Ratib al-Haddad recently, I realized something in the Ratib. No doubt, I've read it many times before but I was not able to comprehend the meanings of some of the wirid in it, mainly because I don't understand Arabic and mostly because I am so veiled! Only with the barakah of special people like habaib and our mashaikh do the veils get removed little by little, bi-iznillah. So Alhamdulillah!

O visitors, readers, followers and friends of this blog, I want you to know that I appreciate your presence and support, and I am in need of your continued du'a. I also want you to know that I am beginning to truly remember you in my du'a. InshaAllah.

How? There is one line in Ratib al-Haddad that ask Allah to forgive our parents, our children, our mashaikh; those who do good to us (that's you); those who have asked us to pray for them (that's some of you); muslimin, muslimat, mukminin and mukminat (that's all of you!).

I thought the phrase 'a commitment of intent' was profound and true not just for human relationship but also relationship with the Divine. As a matter of fact, it describes the fundamentals of every deed that a Muslim does - forming a niyyat (intention) and having a sense of responsibility to keep to the niyyat. Two key words there - commitment and intent.

Another famous British revert Kristiane Backer put it very simply and accurately, that in Islam "Everything is done to please God." She's right as in the maxim: Ilahi anta maqsudi, wa redhoka matlubi. 'Lord, You are my goal and your mercy is what I aim for.'

Thanks to Camilla Leyland, I was reminded of my own commitment of intent - Lisan al-Din. I recalled the moments when I had been strongly inspired to blog in the name of Lisan al-Din - a publication which Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi had started in 1912. No doubt it was khatir Rabbani - a Lordly whispering, because anything which is good comes from Him noneother. Alhamdulillah.

One of my guides said we should just initiate something and let Him finish it. In other words, start doing it and then let God takes care of the rest because it is Allah 'who creates us and everything that we do.' (Qur'an: As Saffat 96). And this Quranic verse, O son, I don't simply copy and paste. I learned and it's embedded in my heart. InshaAllah. Another relevant quote I happen to learn from watching tv tonight was by Tok Kenali, a famous Islamic scholar and saint from Malaysia. He said: "What is knowledge? Knowledge is what is engraved in the heart." Likewise, intention. We should keep a genuine intention engraved in the heart and commit to it. And we do that for the sake of seeking His pleasures, not for our own pleasures InshaAllah.

O son, may Allah make our intention as pure as those who are mukhlisin (sincere) and may He grant us the tawfik (strength) to commit to it. Ameen Allahumma ameen.

Monday, October 25, 2010

O son, I wish to stop and smell the roses for a little longer. Allah is ever so generous yet oftentimes we just walk by His garden a little too fast. When we do that, chances are we cannot smell the fragrance. Rumi says:

I wish you a pleasant slow walk in the garden. May the fragrance lift your spirit to the heavenly sphere where there is neither 'you' nor 'I' where all there is, is Hu (He) Who is the Greatest, Allahu Akbar, Allah Hu Haq!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulilah, the jemaah at Ba'Alawi KL was blessed to have Habib Muhammad bin Soleh Al Attas from Yemen leading the majlis 'ilm and majlis zikr last night. Habib Muhammad said:

All praise be to Allah, Who has made this majlis beautifully fragrant with salawat and zikrullah. You should be grateful that Allah has inspired you to come here, that He gives you life and strength (tawfik) to gather at this majlis. I travelled from my country with the intention to revive sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w which is majlis 'ilm.

There is a hadith relating an event where the Prophet left his house and found a group of sahabah gathering. He asked them: 'What are you all sitting here for?' 'We are discussing about the religion and mentioning Allah's Names' said the sahabah. The Prophet didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer so he asked them again until Jibril came to inform him that Allah was indeed glad and proud of the gathering. It was related that Allah said: 'Look at my servants. I give them nafs and shahwat (desires/passion) yet they choose to get together in mujalasah (majlis 'ilm).'

O people, know that Allah is very proud of us. He will say out all our names, each one of us who are present at this majlis. He will give us a great bounty. We should be more encouraged to say His Name because He mentions our names at mala'ikatul rahman. With your presence here, you have in fact revived sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w. And Allah is 'sitting' with us. He said so in a hadith qudsi that 'I (Allah) sit with those who recite my Name in a group.' The Prophet s.a.w encouraged us to stop by at 'heaven's garden' i.e. majlis 'ilm because the rewards are tremendous. We are guaranteed gifts that are both zahir and batin. The apparent (zahir) reward of sitting at majlis 'ilm is tranquility, peace of mind and success while the batin reward is only known to Allah.

There is a hadith that outlines four benefits of attending majlis zikr namely peace, rahmah (mercy), the angels spreading their wings over us and Allah mentioning our names. And there is another hadith which is widely known that if we make zikr alone all by ourself, Allah will remember us by Himself; if we make zikr in a group, Allah will do the same. Only those who are ahlul ar-ruh, ahlul al-batin and ahlullah could understand this.

In another hadith narrated by Muslim, we learn about Allah assigning the angels with the task of searching for majlis 'ilm. Upon finding it, the angels would report to Allah and Allah would ask: 'Do they want heavens?' 'Yes' said the angels. 'Have they seen the heavens?' 'No' said the angels. 'If they were to see the heavens they would like it even more. Do they seek refuge from hellfire?' 'Yes' said the angels. 'Have they seen it?' 'No' said the angels. 'If they could see it they would be more frightened of it. Be witness that I forgive all their sins.' 'But there're a few among them who came for other reasons' said the angels. And God said, 'I forgive them as well!'

O people, know that your majlis has a resemblance to Majlis Rasulullah s.a.w. He would be pleased because this majlis is a combination of both majlis zikr and majlis 'ilm although he was known to prefer majlis 'ilm since he was a messenger of 'ilm, a murabbi. You are indeed blessed, there are plenty of inayah, hidayah, rahmah and sakinah in this special majlis. And imagine Allah mentioning our names! If we were to get an invite to a royal event we would prepare ourselves properly. How would you prepare for a majlis such as this, knowing that Allah sits with you? He who knows your zahir and batin. He knows your intentions and thoughts. So you ought to have adab at a majlis with Allah.

There are several types of zikr with the tongue, the heart or sirr (secret). The best of zikr is when you say it with the tongue but with your heart present at the same time. Should you fall into maksiat, quickly run and escape from sins, beg for Hir mercy. Allah could see you transgressing the limits. You should feel ashamed that nothing is hidden from Him as He is constantly watching you.

When you make zikr, imagine His Essence and His greatness, understand the meaning of His Names. The best zikr is to profess with the tongue with heart-presence and knowledge of the Names. You will then receive abundant rahmah. The Qur'an says, the best zikr is one that brings toma'ninah (calmness).

O people, do not think that you would go home empty handed. You have sacrificed a lot in order to attend this majlis. You have sacrificed your time, some of you asked your friends and neighbors to come along, some of you drove here, some came in their friend's car, some brought their kids along. You must have confidence that Allah will not let us leave this majlis empty handed, that is His promise. On our part, we must look for means for Allah to grant us His special bounties. We must have a good intention and be sincere.

People of other faiths (non-Muslims) spend a lot of money to make their gathering successful. Those present at their majlis are loyal and committed. What about us? Our deen is the Truth, therefore we should be more motivated and dedicated in making our majlis even more successful. The Prophet said we should not be alone in doing good. We must call other people to goodness. He said, whoever invite people to do good, his own goodness would be multiplied. So you should get more people to attend this majlis.

I am happy to be meeting you here, to see your bright faces. I have traveled a great distant to be here for zikrullah. There is a hadith that talks about a special group of people who is exempted from hisab. The sahabah asked the Prophet: 'What is their character like, to deserve such a special honor?' The Prophet said: 'They are people who meet one another because of the love that they have in their hearts and beause of Allah.' I pray that Allah will grant us the heaven of mutaqabilin where He removes all ill feelings of hasad (envy) and hatred from our hearts, so that we meet for the sake of love and for the sake of Allah alone.

May Allah bless the hosts of this majlis, strengthen their iman and make them beloved of Allah. If not for them, we would not be gathering here tonight. To the rest of you, thank you for coming to this majlis. May Allah purify us zahir and batin. May we live in His rahmah. May He grant us the honor of meeting Rasulullah, the anbiya and sahabah.

Let me reiterate, there are countless benefits of zikr and you will not leave the majlis unless Allah pardon all your sins. Rasulullah used to say to sahabah at the end of their gatherings: 'You may leave now. Allah has forgiven you!'

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Towards the end of the majlis, Habib Muhammad bin Soleh Al Attas gifted the audience with an ijazah for Ratib Al Attas which was written by Imam Al-Haddad's guru, who amazingly composed the ratib on the same night as Ratib Al Haddad. Ratib Al Attas is best recited after Isha for protection against sihir, jin and shayatin. Wallahu a'lam.

I am also writing on the advice of Shaykh Salman who had asked the jemaah at KL Ba'Alawi to work hard on reviving sunnah, to do something based on our own unique capabilities. And I am writing on the authority given by him for hadith with sanad right through Imam Al-Bukhari, while bearing in mind what Habib Umar bin Hafiz had said that none shall study hadith unless he performs the night prayers. InshaAllah.

As I was browsing the book, I came across one hadith that was new to me. It's something for me and you to consider - how short or long my hemline is and how short or long my hemline would be.

In the chapter called 'The Book of Faith':

It was related that Abu said Al Khudri said that The Messenger of God said: 'While I was asleep I saw a dream in which I was shown some people were wearing shirts, some of their shirts reached only to their chests and others were shorter than that. Umar ibn Al Khattab was shown to me wearing a shirt which he was dragging.' The people asked: 'How would you interpret this O Messenger of God?'

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Habib Umar bin Hafiz at Masjid Al Falah last sunday talked on the significance of zikr and qiyamulail. He said:

Praise be to Allah, by saying whose Name, the heart becomes alive. Allah said, "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” So let us begin this majlis by mentioning His Name in our hearts. We must have yaqin in our hearts that everytime we mention His Name, He will reciprocate. The Qur'an says so, and that He would be thankful to one who is grateful for Him. We learned from a hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari that "The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember Him is like that between the living and the dead." Likewise, a house in which there is zikr and one which lacks is like one who is alive and dead. (Hadith by Muslim). When one's heart becomes alive by way of zikrullah, Allah will make his dwelling lively. In a hadith qudsi Allah said he would refrain from punishing a community if there are people who frequent His House; people who love one another, and make istighfar during sahur. O mukmin, we have learned how Allah would honor us and our homes if we made zikir.

A house is nothing more than a plain building. To Allah, there is nothing special about the contents of a house i.e. the furniture, carpets etc because everyone owns basically the same thing. What makes a house extraordinary is when it is furnished with iman and zikir. A home which is enlivened with the teachings of Rasulullah will not only have life but it will stand out from the others and serves as a savior to its neighborhood.

As reported by Hassan al-Basri, the dwellings of the Prophet's wives were so small that one could even touch its ceiling. When their houses had to be abolished, the entire Madinah cried. We certainly appreciate such special homes which Allah grant distinctions. His emphasis on this matter is evident in the Qur'an where He named one chapter as Suratul Hujurat which means 'a house'.

The Prophet s.a.w ordered his wives to make zikir and read the Qur'an and al-hikmah (sunnah Rasul) in their respective homes. How about us? What do we fill our homes with? Instead of reading the Qur'an and sunnah (hadith) people fill their houses with words of the fasiq and pictures which Allah dislikes. This is a big mistake. This is a cause for marriage and ummah to fail.

A visitor to Tarim related his experience of hearing houses in Tarim occupied with the Qur'an and Yassin recitals and zikir from the moment he went on the street early in the morning until he reached his destination. He counted a total of 40 homes in Tarim filled with zikir recited by the women, the elderlies and children while the men perform subuh at the masjid. This is the right culture. These homes are real homes.

People was astonished when a young boy could memorize the Yassin, so they asked him how that was possible. The boy said: 'I hear my mother recite Yaasin early in the morning after subuh everyday that I could easily memorize it.' Imam Al Haddad said whoever recites Yassin, will have his hajat fulfilled and avoid any serious untoward incidents.

Al-Haddad's home was very small yet his knowledge spreads to the far East and West during his lifetime and even after he had passed on. His house is 350 years old now and that shows how incredible this man is. His murid, Habib Ahmad bin Zain al-Habshi had studied in the middle of the staircase yet his ilmu was par excellence. He died while studying a kitab of Imam Malik. The room of Imam Al Haddad had played host to countless majlis ilmu. The Imam was gifted with plenty of knowledge not because he befriended the learned. He earned it through his pure heart and his habit of praying in the middle of the night. Someone wanted to seek knowledge from Ahmad bin Hanbal. So one night the guru placed a bowl of water outside of the student's room for ablution. But he found out later in the morning that the student had not used the water until it was time for subuh. Having observed that, the guru refused to teach the man because knowledge of hadith can only be studied by one who shuns his bed at night. Habib Abdullah Syatiri once said: 'One is not a student if he doesn't get up in the middle of the night.' O people, knowledge of Islam is acquired through tasting and amal, not just shi'ar (symbols). Salahudin al-Ayubi succeeded in reconquering Baitul Maqdis due to him paying special attention to night prayers. He placed a strong emphasis on this particular amal among his armies. So know that doing ibadah during early morning hours could give tremendous impact for things to change for the better.

Wallahu a'lam. May by the barakah of Imam Al Haddad and Habib Umar bin Hafiz we could all develop a habit of making zikir in our homes and staying up at night for munajat and prayers. Ameen Allahumma ameen.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

O son, I have been delaying this post for wanting to let the fragrant barakah of Habib Umar lingers a little longer. And the heart needs a short breather after being tweaked by Haddad Al-Qulub none other.

The man is for real I swear and his message rings louder than ever - three things - the ratib, yaqin and the night prayer. There was one serene night I recalled, not too long ago, I was awakened, the heart beating fast and all of a sudden the mouth called out Al-Haddad. Subhanallah! Surely, he is alive and present to guide the weak ones, I am convinced more and more.

Sorry to have kept you waiting. I have been waiting too, for signals and inspirations. We all know the pangs of separation, of missing the lover. And I am missing Habib Umar already. The mind seems to go blank and the heart empty. But it helps to think that we are one faithful body, one loving heart and one pristine spirit. May Allah keep us together, that way, forever.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. The brilliant lights from the charming chandeliers at Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah appeared extraordinarily bright and beautiful last Saturday. Beneath it were honorable habaib, ulama, ahlillah, ariffeen, solehin whose nur and sirr only Allah knows. They were like little stars surrounding one sparkling star we all adore and love - Habib Umar bin Hafiz.

He said (with Habib Ali Zainal Abidin acting as interpreter):Alhamdulillah, for His guidance and endless blessings...
We must understand that the reality of our relationship with Allah is fundamentally based on the heart and ruh (spirit). This fact is supported by a hadith of Rasulullah s.a.w who said: "Allah does not look at your physique nor your face, rather He looks at your heart."

I witness Lailaha illAllah that He welcomes whoever comes to Him; He mentions the name of whoever mentions His name; He is thankful to those who are thankful to Him and He comes to whoever comes to Him. I witness that Muhammad is a servant of Allah who said: 'I am one who is most fearful of God and foremost in taqwa.' Make salutations to the Prophet s.a.w, he is the door connecting us to Allah, the gateway for us to know Allah.

Make your heart present at this majlis. Your heart is being watched and monitored by the One Who knows it well. We are in a majlis in honor of Imam Al-Haddad, who is capable to make one's heart inclined towards Allah. Think about it. If not for his noble position, we will not be here paying tribute to him. If not for our faith and love for him, we will not trouble ourselves to come here to listen about him. If not for our faith and love we will not be sitting here doing zikir and reading Ratib Al Haddad. The reality of our association with this masjid, Imam Al Haddad and zikrullah reflects the reality of our relationship with Allah. Zikr is what we profess with the tongue. Imam Al Haddad is a descendant of Prophet Adam, a special creation of Allah and the masjid is a construction of bricks. All these makhluk [zikr, Imam Al-Haddad and masjid] serve as a cause for our association with the Creator.

Allah has taught us through the Prophet s.a.w, the six tenets of iman (Rukun Iman). Is it sufficient that we only accept the first principle - the shahadah? What about the other five? As a matter of fact, four of the tenets are linked with servants of Allah [makhluk]. As stated in both the Qur'an and hadith, We are to also have faith in the angels, Rasul, kitabullah (the Qur'an), yaumul akhir (the hereafter) and qada & qadar. Whoever claims to have iman yet refuse to accept any one of the six principles be it Rasul, the Qur'an, even one huruf of it, angels and so on, he is in fact kafir and is bound for hellfire.

Once upon a time, a Jew came to see the Prophet asking him who it was who conveyed the words of Allah to him. 'Jibril', replied the Prophet. The Jew retorted saying: "He (Jibril) is our enemy!" Allah revealed in the Qur'an that whoever denounce Jibril, Allah considers him as enemy. And they are enemies of the Prophets too. Their iman shall not be accepted. As a result, their allegiance to Musa was of no use. The Prophet s.a.w said as recorded in Sahih Bukhari: "Whoever wages war on my friend (awliya), wages war against Me." According to one ulama whoever reproach the awliya and suffered musibah (calamities) for it, he shall not die a Muslim, in fact he will face su'ul khatimah (a bad end to his life). How could he ever be peaceful if Allah waged a war on him?

O the Essence Who is constantly watching our hearts, fill our hearts with love for You, for Rasulullah, the prophets, angels, the pious, all muslimin and honor us with husnul khatimah.

O mukmin who are present here at this majlis, one who is faithful, who hopes to purify the heart, know that the reality of our faith may be connected through one who is close to Allah. Saidina Yaakub bin Ishak bin Ibrahim at the moment of death asked his son, 'Who do you worship after me O son?' The reply was: 'We worship your God, your father's God, the the God of Ishak and the God of Ibrahim.' Why do you think it was answered in that manner? It's because Yaakub's son understood the significance of having a connection with those who are near to Allah. Our tauhid cannot be perfect if we do not keep a connection with the anbiya and solehin. Someone who does not understand sanad properly might misunderstood and fall into error. There is a distinction between a mukmin who honors someone whom Allah honors and a mushrik who honors one amongst the mushrikin. The latter worshipped and placed their hopes on idols whereas the sahabah seeked barakah [tabarruk] from the Prophet s.a.w. Imam Bukhari recorded incidents where sahabah tried to catch hold of water from the Prophet's ablution. Similarly, we learned from the story of Nabi Yusuf who gave his shirt as a cure for his father's eyesight. Notice the degree of yaqin in these examples. Beware of making a mistake in one's iktikad/aqidah. It is a sin to regard a makhluk as a god. In comparison, honoring and showing reverence towards someone whom Allah has made honorable is a shi'ar and something which He orders. Those who idolized a makhluk and made him godly did so out of nafs. The mushrikin worshiped their idols and thereby committed shirik. The angels were asked to prostrate to Adam. Yaakub and his sons were asked to prostrate to Yusuf. All these are mentioned in the Qur'an. Making sujud to any but Allah is batil but it was different in the case of Adam and Yusuf because it was an order from Allah. As we know, Iblis refused to make sujud to Adam. Does that mean Iblis understood tauhid better? No! We must emulate the tauhid of anbiya and the angels, not that of Iblis.

As reported in Sahih Bukhari, upon the Prophet's demise, his jubah (cloak) was given to one of his wives Maimunah and the water from cleaning the jubah had been used for healing. We must be aware of the sacredness of one who has absolute tauhid on the kalimah shahadah [the Prophet].

We must not busy ourselves in judging others or calling them kafir. Instead, we should busy ourselves with acquiring knowledge from a genuine source and purify our hearts from illness. We must be grateful and thankful to Allah that he has protected us from committing shirik jalli (apparent polytheism). We therefore need to guard ourselves from shirik khafi (subtle polytheism). One example of shirik khafi is riya' that is showing off our ibadah to people. Let us all strengthen our hearts and iman to Allah. Let us purify our hearts. It is meaningless to perform plenty of good deeds when the heart is not pure and sincere.

Sahabah used to sing praises for one man for his excellent conduct and piety. One day the man entered the room where the Prophet and sahabah were sitting. His beard was visibly wet from his wuduk. "That is the man we were talking about," said the sahabah. Seeing the man approaching him, the Prophet remarked: 'I saw a sign of shaytan on your face. Tell me, when you came into the room did you not feel that you were better than everyone else?' And the man admitted.

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Imam Al-Haddad was a man of excellent character. His adab was evident in his mu'amalah (dealings) with the public. One day a little boy brought a knife to him thinking that he was a blacksmith. Instead of feeling angry about it Imam Al-Haddad treated the boy kindly. When the boy's father found out of his son's mistake, he went to apologize to the imam toward whom he had a deep respect. Imam Al-Haddad said to the man: "If you truly love me, please do not scold your son for his innocence. I don't take to heart that the boy has mistaken me for the al-haddad (one who works with metal) in the market." O people, imagine if that were to happen to us, surely, we would be angry and humiliated, but Imam Al-Haddad was a man of commendable adab.

Being a man of his stature, people were fond of greeting him and stopping him to ask questions and seek counsel. He found that disturbing everytime he walked to the masjid. So he politely asked people not to stop him. He said, 'When I go to the masjid I would be engrossed in my ta'zim for Allah. Please do not bother me or you would be disturbing my ta'zim.'

Imam Al-Haddad was said to cause a mihrab (prayer niche) cracked upon saying Allahu Akbar. The cracks remained visible even after the mihrab was repaired and I saw that with my own eyes.

Imam Al-Haddad was one who's very committed to sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w. There was not a sunnah that he did not do and for that he was blessed with meeting Rasulullah both in his dreams and in yaqazah (waking state). Several ulama who happened to be nearby the raudhah at Masjid Nabawi used to hear the Prophet answering Imam Al-Haddad's salam when he visited the Prophet's maqam.

Imam Al-Haddad was passionate about writing qasidah. So much that he thought when he died he should have one favorite qasidah of his - Ya Alimal Hal written on his palm. He said: 'But then I realized it's not my way. I must come to Him without bringing anything except for hoping for His help.' That shows the degree of Imam Al-Haddad's relation with Allah.

There was a true story that took place after Imam Al-Haddad passed away. One family known as Bafodal wanted to visit the Prophet's maqam but couldn't. They felt frustrated about it. As they were sailing on a boat, one of them dreamed of the Prophet who said: "Are you feeling sad that you could not come visit me? Don't you know that by visiting the maqam of Imam Al Haddad, seventy of your hajat will get fulfilled?"

O people, whoever reads Imam Al-Haddad's kitab would receive a bountiful light and ma'rifah. So please make an effort to study his writings especially Risalatul Mu'awanah that was written when he was 25 years old. Read Nasa'id Diniyah and the ratib which we have read just now (Ratib Al-Haddad).

If you wished to get close to someone who is loved by Allah and Rasul, read his work. With that I wish to present you a gift - ijazah on Ratib Al-Haddad with the shortest sanad that I have got. I know several versions of sanad but I will give you one with the shortest sanad. I hereby grant you ijazah 'amiyah for Ratib Al-Haddad which I had learned from my guru, Habib Umar Alawi Al Kaf who had received it from his guru Habib Umar Abdullah [Bashasi] who received it from Habib Umar bin Hamid who received it from Imam Abdullah bin Alawi Al-Haddad. There are three people between me and Imam Al-Haddad. You are the fourth person in the sanad despite the fact that Imam Al-Haddad had left us 300 years ago.

May Allah gather us with the man we are honoring today. May Allah keep us together in akhirah with much goodness. May Allah unite our hearts with faith, certitude and love. We are asking Allah for some great bounties but we know He is the Most Rich and Most High and is able to answer our du'a...

Monday, October 18, 2010

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, it's almost midnight, almost monday, I just got home from Habib Umar's majlis, the last one for me (and many of us) since the one at Al-Jenderam scheduled on wednesday has been cancelled because Habib will be leaving for Yemen that day InshaAllah.

The first thing I wanted to do as I got home was to finish up the post on Habib Umar's tausiyah yesterday evening. It's heavy going so I paused at page 4 of my notes. There are 15 pages altogether mind you. Alas... am too tired physically and mentally, hence this interlude.

Habib's tausiyah tonight is as lengthy and as overwhelming as ever. Overwhelming to listen to and to jot down the points. He spoke real fast. So did the interpreter. But kudos to Habib Ali Zainal Abidin, his interpretations have always been crisp and clear, MashaAllah excellent.

At Al-Falah mosque tonight, Habib Umar talked about the importance of making one's house alive and lively with Qur'an recitals and zikr. And to emulate Imam Al-Haddad's habit in qiyamulail.

In the middle of the majlis I was greeted by a stranger who sat next to me, who thought I looked familiar. Clueless, I smiled sheepishly. She then asked, 'Err.. are you a blogger?' It's Lisan Al-Din isn't it?' MashaAllah MashaAllah! Thank you sister Rahima! Know that I appreciate your words of encouragement. I shall keep writing, InshaAllah, bi-iznillah. Also know that I was quietly admiring you as a mother of 3 (or is it 4) growing boys. MashaAllah. I pray your boys will grow up to be soleh and blessed with yaqin. As we learned from the tausiyah of Habib Umar, Imam Al Haddad placed a strong emphasis on such trait. That we have to have yaqin before we solat, fast, pay zakat, anything and everything. Imam Al Haddad once said: 'I do not care if there is not a single drop of rain or if no plants could grow and people are in need of food. I will not worry because Allah says: "There is not a crawling (creature) on the earth whose provision is not by Allah.”

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The attendees at Majlis Haul Imam Abdullah Al-Haddad held at a masjid in Shah Alam, Malaysia yesterday, were exceptionally blessed. The guest of honor was the highly respected Islamic scholar from Tarim, Yemen, Habib Umar bin Hafiz.

Towards the end of Habib Umar's speech where he spoke about yaqin and delivered a beautiful eulogy of Imam Al-Haddad, Habib Umar presented the audience with a very special gift. He said: "I wish to grant you ijazah 'amiyah (general certificate) for Ratib Al-Haddad with the shortest sanad which I possess. I had received it from my guru Habib Umar Alawi Al-Kaf who received it from Habib Umar Abdullah [Bashasi], who received it from Habib Umar bin Hamid who received it from sohibul ratib Imam Abdullah bin Alawi Al-Haddad. I hereby grant the ijazah to you. There are three people in the sanad between me and Imam Al-Haddad, so that makes you the fourth person, although Imam Al-Haddad has left us 300 years ago!"

"We are here to honor people whom Allah has honored. May Allah gather us with them. By the Essence Who gathers, do not separate us in the hereafter. Bind us together with a heart that is strong in iman (faith), yaqin (certitude), and with love..."

As we approach the end of 1431 Hijri, we are witnessing 300 years of Al-Haddad's wafat (demise). He passed away in 1132 Hijri, so 300 years have gone by and our gathering here tonight is proof of Imam al-Haddad's great influence. His teachings stood the test of time and it's all due to his siddiq (truthfulness) and ikhlas (sincerity).

As narrated by Habib Ali Al-Habshi, Al-Haddad hails from the best of descent and was pleasant to the eyes. He would counsel and guide people based on his vast knowledge. Blessed are those who associate themselves with such an esteemed lineage for they would inherit plenty secrets of Allah through Al-Haddad. In truth, those who follow him, follow the light.

Imam Al-Haddad became blind at the age of four. Many of us are not blind physically but blind in the hearts. The great ulama in the olden days often marveled at Al-Haddad's genius work. Those who read his kitab found it hard to believe that a blind person could author such brilliant publications. So one day, one curious reader of Al-Haddad's book decided to investigate. At the imam's house the man was served with coffee. When he was about to drink, the imam gestured to the man about a fly in his drinks. As you might expect the man was startled and impressed that a blind man like Al-Haddad could see a fly in his drinks when he couldn't. It was evident that Al-Haddad had been blessed with a strong basirah (spiritual insight).

The imam was known for his istiqamah (regular) in qiyamulail (night prayers) in health and in sickness. He was guru to more than 100 noble men during his time. His Wirdul Latif became known all around the world to this day. So was Ratib al-Haddad. In fact the Ratib became famous and was widely read at the Haramain at the time when there had been no publicity about it. But Allah spread Al-Haddad's teachings to the East and West for his sincerity and truthfulness towards Him.

Imam Al-Haddad was acclaimed as the renewer of Islam (mujaddid) of the 12th century. He was strictly zuhud (detached) from the world. He has remained in service for Islam during his lifetime and beyond. People who attended his majlis was said to have benefited from him even when he had not spoken anything. One man who eventually became his student was a judge/scribe who feared that his writings might had been erroneous and unfair. Three of his fingers were constantly in pain and he would lament and complain to Al-Haddad. The imam thought that it was due to the man's past mistakes. His pains aggravated when he got home and that caused him to be even more upset. He thought that it was no use of him learning from Al-Haddad when the imam could not even cure his ailment. One night, he dreamed a frightful dream. He saw himself lifeless and saw people giving him a bath and burying him. Two horrifying angels confronted him. He thought there was no way he could escape those two awful beings, that he was doomed. All of a sudden, he saw Imam Al-Haddad appearing in his grave out of nowhere. The imam talked to the angels, telling them to leave the judge alone because he had repented and that he had sat in Al-Haddad's majlis before.

The man immediately realized that it was not useless at all to sit in the company of Al-Haddad. The next morning he performed subuh prayers behind Al-Haddad. The moment Al-Haddadsaid his salam, he turned back and said: "Your dream was indeed true. It's not only true for you but for everyone. Whoever loves me truthfully would benefit just as you did." From then on the man lived a life of piety with khusyuk [attentivenes] and tawaduk [reverence] both in khalwah [in private] and jalwah [in society].

Habib Ahmad bin Zain al-Habshi once asked Imam Al-Haddad what tariqa Al-Ba'alawi was all about? He said: "It comprises of ilmu, amal, ikhlas, khauf and waraq." (knowledge, good deeds, sincerity, fearful and piety). "And the tariqa suits the state (hal) of the person."

Imam Al-Haddad was also an avid correspondent. He would exchange letters with people from around the globe for example Syria, Mesir and India, who often consulted him for fatwa (Islamic rulings). As expected of Imam Al-Haddad, he would entertain queries with his deep knowledge and basirah. In recent times, Al-Haddad's works have been widely translated into English. It was reported that a man who was serving imprisonment sentence in England had embraced Islam after reading Al-Haddad's book.

Without a doubt his dakwah has traversed the passage of time miraculously because Imam Abdullah bin Alawi Al-Haddad was one who's siddiq and ikhlas. He belongs with ahlul hikmah, at the mention of whose name, hearts become alive. And there is another group of people, mentioning their names alone may cause one's heart to die.

Habib Umar bin Hafiz concluded his speech with the kindest words and prayers that had brought many to tears. "May we benefit from this blessed gathering today in honor of Imam Al-Haddad. Surely, we shall be meeting Allah and may Allah exempt us from hisab and azab, and gather us again at Jannatul Firdaus..."

Friday, October 15, 2010

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah for a blissful Friday evening - an evening with the much revered Habib Umar bin Hafiz at Masjid Al-Bukhary Kuala Lumpur. MashaAllah! It was my second time to sit in his sacred majlis. Allahu Allah what did I do to deserve that? Nothing! All praise be to Allah surely.

Habib Umar spoke about people whose heart Allah has made inclined towards the religion by making him understand his duties towards Allah. When Allah does that, it means that He wants to honor that person with a great bounty. And one who understands his duties for Allah will prepare himself appropriately. He will take advantage of dunya as a means to reap an everlasting reward in the hereafter. He who takes that kind of approach to life will receive extraordinary gifts from Allah.

He would also taste the joy of being close to Allah, and the pleasures and enjoyment of this world is not even one tenth of such happiness. The gifts from Allah in this world and in the hereafter are the best and beyond comparison. By Allah, the good among us deserve only all that is good. In a hadith qudsi, the Almighty has said: "I have prepared for My righteous servants, what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to human heart."

The kuffar have managed to lure people to commit maksiat (sinful acts) because the ummah failed to recognize the responsibilities that Allah has given them. Their heedlessness in carrying out their duties towards Allah caused them to be heedless in everything else. A gathering (such as this) to remember and honor one who is honorable in the eyes of Allah (Imam Al-Haddad) could help make the hearts realize their responsibilities - the eyes and the ears too. Otherwise, people are forever careless in carrying out their duties.

Some people used their eyes, ears and hearts to serve the enemies - the munafik (the hypocrites) and the fujjar (wicked person). Hence, they forgot the words of Allah. In order for the ummah to get back onto the right path, the eyes, the ears and the hearts must truly comprehend wahyu Allah (the Qur'an). They must regain awareness of the correct path.

Habib Jindan in his opening remark earlier, stressed the importance of honoring and learning from the solehin of the past. If you looked closer to the underlying meanings of the narrations in Qur'an you would surely find clues on how to benefit from the solehin and how to earn a lofty rank (darjat) as they had achieved. Likewise, narrations from the Qur'an also teach you lessons about the wickedness of the fasik and fujjar.

Sahabah (companions of the Prophet) upon hearing stories of the pious, felt takzim (a sense of admiration). When they heard stories about the fasik, they instilled hatred towards the evildoers. People's dignities have suffered greatly due to their ignorance of the words of Allah. Instead of glorifying the solehin and awliya, they ridicule them. They humiliate and mock the righteous who are close to Allah. On the contrary, people nowadays tend to honor stories of the fasad, they would applaud the bad characters instead. They failed in making the right judgements thus causing their mentality to degenerate and become worse.

It was narrated that a group of people came to the Divine presence bringing with them loads of good deeds but Allah rebuked them for not having any love towards the solehin. Verily Allah had no needs for their amal. Those who love and hate solely for the sake of Allah are those with the strongest of iman. Allah has taught us how to appreciate stories of anbiya and solehin. At the beginning of Surah Yusuf, He said, "We shall narrate to you the most beautiful narrations..." and at the end of the verse He said: "There is certainly a lesson in their histories for the ulul albab (possessors of understanding)." So only ulul albab would understand and appreciate histories of the solehin.

The children today are being fed with immoral tales, stories which are devoid of haqiqa (reality). It's all fantasies. By contrast, parables from the Qur'an are true stories, they are not fiction, they are stories about the righteous whom Allah has honored with much glory. The stories are clearly narrated to guide those who are yaqin (having certitude). In Surah Kahf, He said: "We narrate to you their story with truth. They were young men who believed in their Lord and We gave them more guidance." Allah told us wonderful stories of how He had turned their bodies right and left. He even mentioned about the presence of a dog among them. He had not forgotten to state a fact as minor as that - a dog. Things we thought He need not mention but He did. What an amazing story this ashabul kahf (People of the Caves)!
_______________________________________________ Wallahu a'lam.Based on interpretation by Habib Soleh Al Jufri. The second part of Habib Umar's speech at Masjid Al-Bukhary where he spoke about Imam Al-Haddad will be posted separately InshaAllah.
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

"The journey from the world to the Hereafter is easy for the believer, but relinquishing creation for the sake of God Most High is difficult. And the journey from the self to God most high is intensely difficult but patience with God is still more difficult."

Patience with God is about being patient with whatever He has decreed for us, no matter how bitter. And Al-Junayd described patience as "drinking down bitterness without a frowning look." How not to frown at something we dislike when we are not patient with what we like?

O son, I had been chewing all these words of wisdom at the immigration office and the airport yesterday. Inwardly grumbling for the lack of opportunity to blog while staring at a chapter on patience in 'Principles of Sufism' by Al-Qushayri, here are some pills on patience I learned to swallow.

'Patience is remaining constant in a state of misfortune with a goodly manner.'

'Patience is the soul's passing away in trials without complaint.'

'Patience is to abide with trials as a good companion as one does with well-being.'

'Patience is perseverance with God and accepting His trials in a welcoming and calm manner.'

'Patience is adherence to the ordinances of the Book and the Sunna.'

'Patience is to abandon complaint.'

'Patience is seeking help from God Most High.'

'The patient ones will achieve high rank in both worlds because they attain from God His company. God says: Verily God is with the patient ones.'

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

O son, I have been reading and re-reading a profound chapter from one of Ibn Arabi's books - 'The Bezels of Wisdom', particularly on the subject why the Prophet s.a.w said: "Three things have been made beloved to me in this world of yours: women, perfume and prayer." As you know, Ibn Arabi's work is a tough read, so I am not sure how exactly to share it. I shall quote a few paragraphs, hopefully, not out of context. Bismillah.

He said men should love women with a divine love. "He whose love for them is limited to natural lust lacks all (true) knowledge of that desire. For such a one, she is mere form, devoid of spirit, and even though that form be indeed imbued with spirit, it is absent for one who approaches his wife or some other woman solely to have his pleasure of her, without realizing Whose the pleasure (really) is. Thus, he does not know himself (truly), just as a stranger does not know him until he reveals his identity to him. As they say, 'They are right in supposing that I am in love, only they know not with whom I am in love.'

Such a man is (really) in love with pleasure itself and, in consequence, loves its repository, which is woman, the real truth and meaning of the act being lost on him. If he knew the truth, he would know Whom it is he is enjoying and Who it is Who is the enjoyer; then he would be perfected."

And to the obvious question why a man loves a woman? This paragraph offers a brilliant answer.

"Then God drew forth from him a being in his own image, called woman, and because she appears in his own image, the man feels a deep longing for her, as something yearns for itself, while she feels longing for him as one longs for that place to which one belongs. Thus, women were made beloved to him, for God loves that which He has created in His own image, and to which He made His angels prostrate, in spite of their great power, rank and lofty nature."

"Love arises only for that form from which he has his being, which is the Reality, which is why he says [women, perfume and prayers] 'were made beloved to me' and not 'I love' directly from himself. His love is for his Lord in Whose image he is, this being so even as regards his love for his wife, since he loves her through God's love for him, after the divine manner. When a man loves a woman, he seeks union with her, that is to say the most complete union possible in love, and there is in the elemental sphere no greater union than that between the sexes. It is precisely because such desire pervades all his parts that man is commanded to perform the major ablution. Thus the purification is total. Just as his annihilation in her was total at the moment of consummation. God is jealous of his servant that he should find pleasure in any but Him, so He purifies him by the ablution, so that he might once again behold Him in the one in whom he was annihilated, since it is none other than He Whom he sees in her."

Subhanallah!

But people, please don't ask me to interpret or elaborate the above. Get the book, read the entire chapter (The Wisdom of Singularity in the Word of Muhammad) and contemplate on it yourself. I just hope more men out there are intelligent (areef) enough to understand what Ibn Arabi was saying; why they love women (so much); and more importantly, how they should love a woman.

Monday, October 11, 2010

O son, you may find it hard to believe, but I have just purchased my first proper hadith book! Yes, at this age! Am late! Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. But believe me, it is worth the petition, the wait, the struggle and the tears...especially with the ijazah from Shaykh Sayyid Salman Al Hussaini An Nadwi, InshaAllah.

No doubt, it is an amanah from Allah and the muhaddith has asked us to work hard in studying hadith and reviving sunnah. So I am inspired to devote my time to some serious reading, InshaAllah.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah for the golden opportunity to sit before the honorable muhaddith Shaykh Sayyid Salman Al Hussaini An Nadwi. MashaAllah tabarakallah it was such a blissful gathering which would not have been possible without the barakah of Shaykh Salman's own mureed, Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam Al-Maliki.

With a beaming smile, Shaykh Fahmi introduced his guru, under whose guidance he studied hadith in India circa 1981. "That's 29 years ago!" said Shaykh Fahmi who was clearly delighted about their reunion. Shaykh Salman was earlier taken to visit Shaykh Fahmi's hometown in Banjarmasin, Indonesia where thousands of people had gathered to welcome Shaykh Salman. It was indeed a rare occassion that Shaykh Salman came on a tour to this region to give ijazah for hadith with sanad from Imam Al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Abu Daud, Imam Al-Tirmidhi, Imam An-Nasai' and Imam Ibnu Majah.

Shaykh Salman in his address, reminded the audience to not feel proud about the ijazah. He urged everyone, the young, the old, the learned ones and even those who do not understand Arabic, to play a part and do something. "You must work hard. This is a big amanah from Allah. Study the hadith and strive to revive the sunnah. Accept it with taqwa and sincerity" said he.

Shaykh Salman stressed on the importance of acquiring knowledge especially hadith that is supported by sanad (chain) from a guru, to his gurus, to the mu'allif (author i.e. Imam Al-Bukhari) and ultimately to Rasulullah s.a.w. What makes Islamic scholarship unique is the sanad. It is a pertinent feature of Islam so that people cannot simply 'create' knowledge as they like based on their own ideas and creativities.

The orientalists tried but failed to manipulate and cause confusion to the Qur'an because Allah Himself has guaranteed to protect the ummul kitab. So they turned to hadith. The ummah's aqidah are becoming shaky on account of their propaganda. Sahih Bukhari is the most reliable kitab after the Qur'an, and yet people are trying to cast doubt on its authority.

We cannot possibly understand the Qur'an without making a reference to hadith or sunnah, for example solat. The Qur'an does not provide a detail description on its methods so we learn from sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w. How can we limit ourselves to the Qur'an when the Qur'an itself asked us to follow sunnah?

If you wish to study religion you must follow traditions as practised by ulama salaf (ulama in the olden days). Imam Malik once said: 'Ummah living in the end times can never be righteous unless they emulate the ummah from the past.' And as advised by Muhammad bin Sirin, we must be careful from whom we acquire knowledge. He said, 'knowledge is religion, so beware who you take your religion from.' As we have said, your knowledge must be supported with a proper sanad to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

Shaykh Fahmi then introduced his newly published booklet An-Nafahat Ar-Rahmaniyah fi awa-il Salamiyah containing six selected hadith and their sanad. The first hadith quoted in the little booklet is the opening hadith from Sahih Imam Al-Bukhari on 'The Book of Revelation':Innamal a'maalu bin niyyaat wa innamaa likullim ri'in maa nawa
Fa man kaanat hijrat hu ila dunya yusi buha au ram atin yan kihuha fahijratuhu ila ma hajara ilaih
"It was related that Umar ibn Khattab r.a said: "I heard the Messenger of God saying: 'The reward for any deed depends upon the intention and everyone will be rewarded according to his intentions. So whoever emigrates for wordly benefit or to marry, his emigration is for what he emigrated for."

Shaykh Fahmi concluded the majlis by reminding the audience to be wary of their intentions and to be sincere in acquiring knowledge.Wallahu a'lam.

Sayyid Salman Al Hussaini Al Nadwi is a world-renowned scholar and professor in the Islamic sciences. He is an author of numerous scholarly works in Arabic and Urdu. Shaykh Salman Al Nadwi is a graduate of Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow and studied under the illustrious Shaykh Syed Abul Hasan Ali Al Nadwi (ra). He achieved his Masters degree from Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University, Saudi Arabia and wrote his thesis on Hadeeth under the tutelage of the great Hanafi scholar and Imam, Shaykhul Hadeeth Abu Fattah Abu Ghuddah (ra).

Shaykh Salman Al Nadwi currently is the rector of Jamia Syed Ahmad Shaheed, president of the Jamia-u-Shabab-il-Islam, dean and professor of the faculty of Shariah & Usuluddin at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, and chairman of the Dr. Abdul Ali Unani Medical College and Hospital. He is also a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, member of the court of Aligarh Muslim University and a member of many other Islamic organizations. In addition, he is a founding member of numerous medical, IT and engineering colleges in India. Shaykh Salman is also the editor and co-editor of thirteen different periodicals in English, Urdu, Persian and Arabic languages published in India and abroad. He regularly attends international religious seminars and forums.